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HIFF’s Quick Picks Contest has now ended, thank you to everyone who entered. To qualify to win one of five bundles of five tickets to the Spring Showcase, you must have gotten all 8 categories correct. If no one manages to get all of them correct, we’ll choose the entries that have the most answers correct. Winners will be announced here on the blog, on our twitter account and facebook page on Tuesday, March 9th. Winners will be contacted by email to receive their prizes.

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HIFF’s 13th Annual Spring Showcase is fast approaching, and here are two more films that will be playing April 16-22. AJAMI is a look at the conflicts between Jews and Arabs in Jaffa, Israel (near Tel Aviv), while FATHER AND GUNS is a Canadian comedy about a bickering father/son pair of cops who have to go undercover together. Also of note, AJAMI is one of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film in this year’s Academy Awards.

The full film program for HIFF’s Spring Showcase will be announced March 15th. See more information on these films after the break.

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THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS, is about and narrated by Daniel Ellsberg (speaker in photo above) who leaked to the press a 7,000 page study by the Defense Department about America’s Southeast Asia strategies during the Vietnam War. Known as “The Pentagon Papers”, it ended with the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.

HONOLULU, HI (February 11, 2010) – The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) is pleased to announce that six films featured at the 2009 fall festival have been nominated for Academy Awards garnering a total of 12 Oscar nominations.

“Every year we strive to bring the best films to share with our audiences in Hawaii and we are so pleased that several of the films from HIFF 2009 are being recognized by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences,” says HIFF executive director Chuck Boller. “We were thrilled at last year’s HIFF Oscar Night® America party to experience DEPARTURES’ win as Best Foreign Language Film, since the only place one could have seen the film in the entire United States prior to its Oscar win was at HIFF 2008, which presented DEPARTURES’ US Premiere. We hope a HIFF film wins again this year.”

The 2009 Oscar nominated films include THE YOUNG VICTORIA, which received 3 nominations for art direction, costume design and makeup; PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE, which received 6 nominations for best actress in a leading role for Gabourey Sidibe, best actress in a supporting role for Mo’Nique, director, film editing, best picture and adapted screenplay; MIRACLE FISH, which received a nomination for best live action short; and FOOD INC. and BURMA VJ, each of which received a nomination for best documentary feature.

Korean executive Park Dong-ha (Jung) goes to Sichuan for a business meeting and encounters May (Gao), an English language tour guide whom he knows from their time studying at a college in the U.S. Only together for a short, intense period, they re-explore their feelings for each other.

[img_assist|nid=247|title=Children of Invention / White on Rice Joint Release Poster|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=156|height=240]Two popular American independent films that were featured in HIFF’s 2009 film festival, White on Rice and Children of Invention, are planning a joint theatrical release for their films in New York City at the newly renovated BIG Cinemas Manhattan on March 12th. Children of Invention producer Mynette Louie comments on their joint efforts:

“We kept running into the WHITE ON RICE folks on our festival run, so we all became good friends. It makes perfect sense for us to buoy each other’s promotional efforts in true ‘DIWO’ style. DIWO means ‘Do It With Others,’ and it’s much more fruitful than DIY, particularly in this hostile climate for indie films.”

Both films are currently available as limited edition DVD’s, see their respective websites for details. For more detailed information about the joint theatrical release, see their press release here: http://www.childrenofinvention.com/diwo-nyc.htm

HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL HOSTS OFFICIAL OSCAR NIGHT® AMERICA PARTY AT ROYAL HAWAIIAN HOTEL, A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT

Tickets Now on Sale

HONOLULU, HI (January 7, 2010) – The excitement and glamour of Hollywood’s biggest night is coming to The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, A Luxury Collection Resort, on Sunday, March 7th as the Hawaii International Film Festival hosts HIFF’s Oscar Night America party. Guests are invited to experience the thrill of the 82nd Academy Awards® and black tie affair during an advanced telecast, which will allow party guests to see the ceremony before anyone else in the Islands.

Oscar Night® America benefits HIFF, which is dedicated to the advancement of understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America through the medium of film. HIFF’s celebration in Honolulu is one of 50 official Oscar viewing parties in cities across the country and is the only official Oscar Night® America party in Hawaii.

Join Hawaii International Film Festival on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 for their annual fundraiser and watch the 82nd Annual Academy Awards® in advance of the public broadcast. Next year’s show will be hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Ten films from 2009 will be vying for the Best Picture award instead of five like in previous years. More details about this event will be coming soon.

The benefit event will be held in the Monarch Ballroom at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Arrivals and cocktail party begin at 4:00 p.m. with the advanced telecast of the award ceremony beginning at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase starting January 1st, 2010 for $300.00 per person for seating on the Monarch Lanai or $400.00 per person for seating in the Monarch Room. HIFF Ohana Members are being offered a discounted rate of $250.00 per person for the Monarch Lanai and $350 for the Monarch Room.

HIFF’s next Spring Showcase festival will be held in April 2010, and will feature 25-30 international films over seven days. Stay tuned, we’ll announce the exact dates for this festival near the beginning of next year.

HIFF Bloggers

Anderson Le

Current karaoke repertoire: Opportunities (Pet Shop Boys), Things Can Only Get Better (Howard Jones), Making Love Out of Nothing At All (Air Supply), Lovestoned (Justin Timberlake), Linda Linda (The Blue Hearts), The Logical Song (Supertramp), If I Were a Boy (Beyonce), Shima Uta (The Boom), Regret (New Order), My Life Would Suck Without You (Kelly Clarkson), Life in Technicolor II (Coldplay), Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson)

Anna Page

Associate Director of Programming at HIFF, film and food are my two passions in life. But when I am not watching or eating, I also love to travel. Though I've lived in Hawaii for many years I am originally from Scotland!

Minette Ferrer

I've been with HIFF for a while now. I like comic books (preferably Vertigo or DC), burgers, and science fiction. I will be posting comments regarding films and events happening throughout the festival.

Joshua Nye

I am the Operations Manager here at the Hawaii International Film Festival. In this role, I lead the operations team providing support for theater operations, including box office, volunteers and house management. You can find me during the week eating hot wings (mmm wings), riding my Segway, and having a few Rose Kennedys to wash down the wings. If I am singing karaoke it has to be NKOTB!!